Critical Mass reaching a tipping point

Bikers gather near Market Square downtown for September's Critical Mass bike ride. Many drivers see the rally as a nuisance. Bikers gather near Market Square downtown for September's Critical Mass bike ride. Many drivers see the rally as a nuisance.

Bikers gather near Market Square downtown for September's Critical...

With hoots and hollers and flashing lights, the riders of Critical Mass surge joyously down Washington Avenue.

At first this seems like any other group bike ride - but the cheers and lights keep coming. And coming. And coming. Red lights be damned, the stream of cyclists powers through, to the chagrin of drivers trying to get through the intersection.

Scenes like this one, during the group's September ride, fuel complaints that Critical Mass riders disobey traffic laws and display hostility to motorists. Yet the group is gaining momentum. Hundreds of riders show up for the start at Market Square Park the last Friday of every month.

Houston's Critical Mass, like others across the nation, is part protest, part party and part intentional public nuisance. Its rapid growth, while increasing interest in cycling, challenges participants to police themselves and strains the unwritten contract between drivers and bicyclists.

"We can't just sit back and have no one step up," said Hector Garcia, who has ridden in the event since 2005 and manages the group's online presence. "Everyone is learning. Every group ride faces challenges."

Estimates of the typical number of Critical Mass riders in Houston range from 1,000 to 2,000. Though the Houston group has been active for more than eight years, city police haven't issued tickets or taken steps to assist the riders.

"We are aware of the Critical Mass group," Houston Police Department spokesman Victor Senties said. "We do encourage its members to express their First Amendment rights. We do want them to understand they have to (respect) the rights of others" by obeying traffic laws.

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Critical Mass has faced similar struggles since its beginning in San Francisco in 1992. Riders there organized a large group to take advantage of their legal right to the road.

As other cities jumped on the Critical Mass bandwagon and crowds grew, they have faced the same tipping point with mixed results. San Francisco and Chicago police often ride in the group, and officers have arrested cyclists for offenses ranging from blocking intersections to denting vehicles with a bike lock. In Poland, riot police shut the ride down.

In New York, chaos ensued after a police officer pushed a cyclist off his bike during a dispute. The officer later was convicted of falsifying parts of his police report, ending his police career.

Houston's loosely organized group is looking to rein in its more extreme elements without dampening the fun.

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"This ride is a lot more of an organized ride than people give it credit," said Neil Bremner, co-owner of Bike Barn, a local bicycle and repair shop. "Probably more organized than a fringe group within the ride would like and less organized than many others, including some drivers, would prefer."

Police and other city departments are talking with organizers - the group symbolically lacks leadership - to help make the ride more manageable.

"If it is unsuccessful, then the next step is enforcement," Senties said. "They have got to understand they have to respect other people's rights."

Drivers caught in the crowd complain of cyclists cursing at them and beating on car hoods. Some motorists have complained to police, saying the red light-running is an unwelcome disruption and a safety issue.

"If there was an ambulance, could it get through?" asked Chris Whitehouse, who lives off Washington Avenue near Shepherd Drive.

Proactive moves

Critics of all the attention to cycling have called Houston's lack of enforcement and focus on trails and bike lanes a war on cars.

The red-light-running and aggressiveness divide even committed Critical Mass riders. Some riders say that breaking the group up while some stop for lights can leave streets clogged with smaller clumps of riders, putting the cyclists at greater risk.

"We want to move through fast and get out of the way," Garcia said.

Organizers have learned from other cities and from their own experience. For example, Garcia said, they now pick a midway point to let riders grab a drink or snack, like a grocery store capable of handling the crowd, and call ahead to warn management. Organizers also are giving city departments a heads-up on the route, in hopes they can smooth out problems or be ready at key intersections.

Critical Mass reflects a variety of ages, income levels and cultures.

Riders come from the suburbs to cruise city streets. Some ride to protest the region's favoritism toward the automobile and use of fossil fuels. Others see Critical Mass as a mass demonstration of cycling's popularity and proof that safety is greatest in the greatest numbers. For others, it's just a fun ride the last Friday of every month.

Supporters agree that diversity is galvanizing cycling across the city, notably in dense, urban areas.

"Houston is poised to do something Portland can't do or even Boulder and that is make bikes an acceptable mode of transportation on a citywide trail system," said Bob Stein, a Rice University political scientist and avid cyclist.

In the past year, bike-sharing in Houston has expanded from three stations to 28. City officials passed a law requiring drivers to give cyclists 3 feet of space on roads and announced an executive order moving Houston toward streets designed for cars, cyclists and pedestrians.

"We see the city stepping up, and they have spent a lot of money on the trails," Garcia said. "There is a lot of investment to Houston being a bike-friendly city."

If the event grows, Garcia said, organizers might look to the lead of other cities, which have split the group so they start and stop in the same location, or meet along the way, but reduce the likelihood of 3,000-plus riders on one street.

"We are just trying to figure out ways to make people happy," Garcia said.